Man arrested and four Failsworth homes raided over firearms discharge

A man has been arrested during raids at a number of addresses in North Manchester and Oldham overnight, following a firearms discharge in the Newton Heath area on Tuesday afternoon.

A 38-year-old man is being held in custody on suspicion of attempted murder and is being questioned by detectives.

Police made the arrest after six warrants were executed at two houses in the North Manchester area and at four properties in the Failsworth area of Oldham on Wednesday night (20 January). 

GMP say scenes remain in place at all six addresses as enquiries continue.

The action follows a drive-by shooting on Briscoe Lane at around 1.45pm on Tuesday (19 January).

Enquiries so far suggest that two black VW Golfs and a silver BMW Series 5 were travelling at speed in tandem between Culcheth Lane and Briscoe Lane, when one of the cars is believed to have fired shots at one of the other vehicles before all three fled.

It is understood that a fourth car - parked on Briscoe Lane and unconnected to the other three - was hit by one of the shots that were fired. Police say this car was not directly involved in the incident and no injuries have been reported.

Officers responded quickly and later cordoned off the scene on Briscoe Lane, once the location of the discharge was established.

Investigators are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the incident or who may have dash cam footage from the area at the time to contact police.

Superintendent Rebecca Boyce, GMP's commander for City of Manchester North, said: "Today's action demonstrates the tireless work of our detectives since this shocking incident was reported to us on Tuesday afternoon - while we have a man in custody their work on this investigation very much continues.

"This was a very concerning incident where shots were fired in broad daylight and on a busy street and it is fortunate that no innocent members of the public were caught up in this dispute and hurt.

"We don’t know what caused this incident but we have established that this discharge was preceded by a chase between three vehicles through the Newton Heath area at the time.

"We want to hear from anyone that may have witnessed two black VW Golfs and a silver BMW Series 5 driving suspiciously in the area on Tuesday afternoon to contact police with any information or footage they may have.

"Any incident involving a firearm is understandably worrying for the public and I must stress that we take this extremely seriously with an increase in patrolling officers in the area and a team of detectives working around the clock to bring those responsible to justice."

Anyone with information should call 0161 856 1146 quoting incident 1373 of 19/01/2021. Details can be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.